Nepal’s newly introduced guidelines for infrastructure projects are aimed at making them less disruptive to wildlife, but conservationists say they fail to consider birds.
So-called linear infrastructure — things like roads, railways and power lines — fragment dense forests that are home to birds, severely impacting them.
A recent study shows a higher diversity of bird species in a contiguous forest compared to a nearby isolated one that’s hemmed in by infrastructure projects.
Conservationists say it’s important to keep contiguous forests intact, design mitigation measures for wildlife, and keep monitoring the impact of projects on wildlife.
